Apple pie for π Day

π π π  Happy Pi Day!!  π π π

So many recipes for apple pie, so little time to try them all!  With the exception of the insipid frozen apple pies that you can buy in the freezer section, I've never met an apple pie I didn't like.  All that aside, I have been working on and modifying my own favorite recipe for years.  Back in 2002, Ina Garten shared a recipe that became my staple for quite some time.  That is, until Alton Brown came along a convinced me to modify it somewhat again. 

So here is my current version.  It is not their faults, either of them, if you're not nuts about my pie ;-)

And for your entertainment on this glorious Pi Day, don't miss the video I posted last year!

Apple Pie

Approximately 5 - 6 apples, in this mixture:
2 Granny Smith, 2 Braeburn, 1 Honeycrisp, 1 Golden Delicious

1 lemon, zested
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice

Double piecrust

Prepare your pie dough and refrigerate it until ready to roll.

Peel, halve, and core the apples.  Cut each half into 6 equal slices.  Combine the apples with the other ingredients in a large bowl and set aside to drain a bit.  Roll out the bottom crust and ease it into a deep dish.  Fill the pie with the apples, placing them carefully in a spiraling pattern rather than just dumping them in.  Pour drained juices and spice mixture over the top.  Top with the second crust and crimp the edges.  Slash the top or use a steam release bird.  Bake on a baking sheet at 400 for around an hour or a bit more.  Cover the edges of the crust if it browns too much.  The juices should be bubbling out when the pie is done.

Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage

I'm not real big on sauerkraut, but I looooove Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage.  With less vinegar and more sweet ingredients that kraut, this stuff is great.  I've written up the recipe exactly as it was given to Mom.

From my mother's friend Valery Sahrle to RuthAnn Lavin:  "So Good!  So German!  Enjoy!"

Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage (Dampfkraut)

Cabbage 4 cups shredded
Bacon 4-5 slices diced
Onion 1 medium diced
1 apple peeled & cored & sliced
2-4 tbls vinegar
Caraway seeds optional

Fry bacon until crisp remove drain half the drippings save.  Saute onion until tender, add cabbage, apple, a little water, vinegar.  Cover to get started, stirring often.  Add bacon.  Cook until brown & golden, remove lid half way through, fry down, add more vinegar to taste if you want it tart-(er)  Add caraway seeds if you like.  I make it ahead if entertaining.  Can do day before, warm 350, 40-60 minutes.
Serves 6-8

Another lentil stew

Oh this is soooo good.  If you like figs and spice, and we really like figs and spice in our house.  I made a batch of the Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Fig Stew exactly as instructed by the Hannaford recipe.  I ended up adding more water than they called for (you can also use stock instead), and I left out the optional cilantro as we are just not huge fans.  But oh my...we are definitely fans of this stew.  I made a second batch - a double batch actually - to share at a potluck later in the week.  We didn't bring much of it home.

Lentil vegetable stew

This is an incredibly versatile (and tasty) lentil concoction!  You can serve it plain as a stew, you can serve it over Basmati rice, or you can add more vegetable stock and some spinach and make it into a soup.  You can add a dollop of yogurt and make it creamy, either with or without the spinach.

No matter what, it's just darned good stew!


Lentil Vegetable Stew

Vegetable oil
Large onion, chopped
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1-1/2 t garam masalah (my favorite mix)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
4 c water
2 c green lentils, rinsed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 c vegetable broth
Salt
Options: additional broth, fresh spinach, a dollop of yogurt, Basmati rice. 

Prepare rice if you are going to serve the stew over it.  In a large sauce pot or dutch oven, cook the onion in oil until soft and lightly browned.  Stir in the spices and garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the water through the salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and  cover, simmering until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.

Serve as is, or serve over rice.  Add spinach if desired, additional broth to make a soup, and top with yogurt if desired.

Mashed gouda cheese potatoes

Choose a smoky-flavored gouda cheese and some thick-cut applewood bacon for this heavenly dish.  These potatoes are so high in fat it's ridiculous...make them as often as you dare, but keep an eye on your cholesterol!

Mashed Gouda Cheese Potatoes

4 thick-cut slices of applewood bacon
2 - 3 scallions, chopped white and pale green parts only
3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 c milk
2 c (8 oz) smoked Gouda cheese, coarsely grated

Cook the bacon until crisp.  Place on paper towels and set aside.  Meanwhile, boil up a large pot of water with salt and cook the potatoes until soft, about 15 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Mash them with half the crumbled bacon and scallions, the full amount of sour cream and milk, and 3/4 of the cheese.  Top with the rest of the cheese and bacon before serving.  Keep warm in a 375 oven if needed. 

Roasted carrots with thyme and lemon juice

The splash of fresh lemon juice at the very end of cooking brightens up the earthy flavor of these roasted carrots.

Roasted Carrots

Olive oil
Carrots, cleaned
Shallots, chopped
2 t fresh thyme or 1/2 t dried
Fresh lemon juice

Heat the oven to 425.  Oil the pan and add the carrots and shallots, covering with foil for the first 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and add the seasonings.  Cook for 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.  Toss with lemon juice just before serving.

Stuffed squash

There was a terrific recipe in Hannaford's Fresh magazine for Acorn Squash with Double Mushroom Stuffing that we just had to try.  It was very very tasty just as they presented it, but it got me to thinking about what other stuffings might be good with squash.  We love acorn, buttercup, butternut...basically all the hard-skinned squashes.  But not everyone in the family is crazy about mushrooms, so I decided to come up with another squash-stuffing mixture that they would like.

Butternut Squash with Orzo Stuffing

2 butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
Cooking spray
2 slices of bacon
Bacon grease or 2 T olive oil
Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Red pepper, chopped
2 t fresh thyme
1 c orzo pasta
1 1/2 c vegetable or chicken broth
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Bake the squash at 400, face down in an inch of water for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Fry bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp.  Remove and set aside.  Save some of the grease or replace it with olive oil and cook the vegetables and thyme until softened.  Add pasta, and broth, cooking until pasta is soft and the broth has been absorbed or boiled down.  Add crumbled bacon just before stuffing the squash, and garnish with Parmesan cheese.